The Weber School District is investigating a racist chant, along with several additional chants and jeers, allegedly made by Roy High School students toward an Asian American student on Hunter High’s boys basketball team during a game at Roy on Jan. 13.

In a 25-second video posted to social media by a Hunter parent five days after the game, a Hunter player is seen inbounding the ball in front of the Roy High student section. Roy students, standing on bleachers behind him, can clearly be heard making barking noises at the Hunter student.

In speaking to KUTV news, Hunter parents and coaches took issue with the barking chant that was directed at the Asian American student along with alleged chants of “dog eater,” harkening to racist stereotypes about Asian Americans connected with the longstanding practice in some Asian countries of eating dog meat.

The video also shows Roy High Principal Mike Martini standing in front of the student section. During the clip, depicting one incident out of several that are alleged to have happened during the game, there’s no visible effort made by Martini to stop the jeers.

According to WSD spokesperson Lane Findlay, a Hunter coach asked Martini later on in the game if he could ask the Roy students to stop barking. Martini did so and the students stopped barking after that, Findlay said.

Martini was notified of the additional complaints in the days after the game, Findlay said.

It’s relatively common for student sections at basketball games to make barking noises, among other taunting behavior, toward players on opposing teams to try to distract them, especially if that player is in close proximity to the student section.

Findlay said WSD is looking into whether the Roy students did the barking chant specifically because the Hunter student who was inbounding the ball was Asian American.

According to the KUTV report, Hunter parents and coaches alleged that after the barking chant, Roy students made several additional remarks toward Hunter players that included racist and homophobic language.

“As far as the other allegations, that’s what we’re still looking into. Our administrators who were there didn’t hear anything, so we’re trying to determine — talking to students who were there in the student section and coordinating with Hunter High School — to see if anyone heard anything specific, and if we could identify if someone did say something, who it was,” Findlay said.

Hunter parents and coaches quoted in the KUTV report claimed Roy students also used racist comments in a game against Hunter last year, claims they said were reported to, and ignored by, administration from both schools.

Findlay said the allegations surrounding last year’s game haven’t been substantiated by current or former Roy High administrators.

A statement issued by WSD says the district will take appropriate action — that could range from banning some students from attending basketball games to suspending students from school — against any student found to have violated the district’s policy on discrimination and harassment.

Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.

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